4643. Verses 2-5 Esau took his wives (femina) from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau; and Basemath bore Reuel; and Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

'Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan' means the first joining of Natural good - to the affection for apparent truth. 'Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite' means its essential nature which it received from the Ancient Church. 'And Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, the sister of Nebaioth' means the second joining - to the affection for truth from a Divine stem. 'And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Basemath bore Reuel' means the first derivatives. 'And Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah' means the second derivative. 'These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan' means from the good of the Lord's kingdom.

4510. 'And their women' means charity. This is clear from the meaning of the words for 'woman' and 'wife' (femina, mulier, uxor) as affections for truth and affections for good. Affections for truth are meant when the partner is mentioned or when the expression 'husband' is used, affections for good when the partner is not mentioned or when the term 'man' is used, 915, 1468, 2517, 3236. At present affections for good are meant because the women belonged to the men of the city, who meant truths, 4478 (end), and because the city is everywhere called the city of Shechem, who represented the truth of the Church among the Ancients, 4454. The affection for spiritual good is the same as charity, and this is why 'women' here means charity.